


Some Family Misadventures and a Cancer Spiced with World Conspiracy

by Transgressed



Category: Original Work
Genre: Family Drama, Family Issues, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-30 08:26:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15747990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Transgressed/pseuds/Transgressed
Summary: It was not unexpected for a teenager to remind a pregnant hedgehog with mood swings. Some, though, are not unreasonably cruel. Some just don't think of family as of the unreachable concept of unwavering acceptance and eternal trust. Some think it's a choice everyone makes, consciously or not so much... And some know when it's time to start searching in another place.





	1. Chapter 1

It was fairly early when Liz and Shard were returning home, but rarely did they see any strangers on the way home. It was not unusual, though, since the alley they turned onto didn’t have an upstanding reputation.

Liz was unafraid, so was Shard. It was an everyday route they took after all.

It was so quiet, every step the pair took echoed noticeably.

A bit imagination and one might find themselves in the empty world, not just in the forgotten place. Gradually any alertness they might have was lost in a peaceful silence of the streets. As per usual.

And so, they walked, side by side, slowing their speed to almost turtle pace as home was starting to come into view.

None of them wanted to return.

Liz was not the hotheaded girl she was two years ago, but it made no difference since everything tended to end one way. 

It was hard to accept her diagnosis for what it was. It was harder to watch your family falling apart because of it.

Liz was through all stages of acceptance. Or grief, you can call it. It doesn’t matter. Even for such a perfectionist as herself, some errors in definitions of her own conditions lost their edge in the face of imminent death.

Funny, isn’t it?

Oh, it wasn’t so easy as it might seem to you. Not at all. It was a long two years, after all, but for a hormone-driven seventeenth-year-old girl, Lizette had gone through it with a remarkable stoicism.

At first, she tried to find a mistake in the medics’ judgments, convinced they were unqualified, stupid. She searched the Net, which quickly became her best friend, for anything related to her condition. She was determined, strong-willed. Stubborn. And so, so very wrong.

The stress earned her a few terrifying panic attacks, a lot of tears. And no hope.

Then, almost overnight, her behaviour had shifted. She was constantly angry, screaming and kicking. Blaming her parents for giving up, the doctors for not trying hard enough to find a cure, friends and her sweet, little sister for pitying her.

It helped, at first. Definitely released some of that pressure from her bones. But Liz was a quick learner and after two or so days of aimless wandering on the streets, she understood that no amount of running could carry her away from herself.

It was easy to look at the situation as someone else’s fault, someone tangible, apparent. At least the doctors she could punch and curse. You can’t punch the Universe for its shitty definition of fairness, however. And that _sucked_.

She then started trying to live, as if nothing had ever happened. Missing hospital sessions and making her condition worse. Liz spent her days on the beach – her new favourite place, far from any passer-byes. But one day she woke up to find herself in a dreadful amount of pain, passed out in the empty classroom. With no recollection of how she got there. It was midnight and the school had to be closed.

After that, Liz even stopped sleeping. She was so afraid of never waking up again. Or of waking up in the lake. Or _worse_.

Liz hadn’t missed one appointment ever since.

She was so afraid of dying.

But then like a divine blessing came sweet apathy. It was refreshing in a way. Calm and peace, which she thought herself never to experience again. For a time, she even believed it was better. But the downside was harder to accept. Pleasant feelings and laughter balanced out her miserable state before. But not anymore.

She should have been scared, but she couldn’t. She didn’t feel a thing. Not anger, nor frustration. Not love, nor peace.

She felt nothing as if someone had switched off her.

Thankfully, the sensation was a short-lived one. Liz definitely didn’t want to repeat the experience anytime soon. With no motivation to live she was starting to wonder if one day she would just forget to take a breath. And wouldn't care anyway.

And then, then, finally, she understood.

There was no way out. It was her life, not a dream, not a haze. She was sane, and it was really happening.

She accepted her fate, cringing at the phrasing. So much _tumidity_. The irony was not lost on her.

The day she came to terms with her predicament Liz remembered well.

Because that day she met a friend.


	2. Chapter 2

Liz’s parents, on the other hand, were not so fast to overcome their sorrow. They grieved for the daughter, who was still very much alive.

And that stung. Liz was not expecting that. But why not? It was her doing after all.

They were not, by all means, close.

Mother was a remarkable worker, caring and compassionate. Kind. She was a nurse with lots of hobbies. She also was born with a boot in her mouth. Annoyingly uncouth, rude and shameless she didn’t inspire much trust, since everything that got past her ears, inevitably came out of her mouth one way or another. To one person, or the other. Or both.

She didn’t know what personal space was until Liz had to enlighten her and even then, it took surprisingly a lot of time for her to learn using that knowledge. Liz was ten or so when she opened her eyes, had a glimpse through the veil of the word ‘family’ and saw real people.

It was a strike.

Her father was not that much different from her mother. No wonder, since they were married for thirty years, give or take. Many things rub off on a partner, given enough time.

He was, however, less talkative, and that trait Liz valued the most those days. The gold silence, indeed. But as if to balance that out, her father, her old and tired father, liked to remind Lizette how much she owed her generous parents.

She knew it, of course, without his constant reminders. She also knew, why he kept telling her that: he didn’t think she loved them, and so tried to cause some feelings. She had never had it in her to change his mind, to make him believe in her undying and all-consuming love. The least what she owed them is honestly.

She also planned to pay them off, make their lives good and even better. No sarcasm intended. It was the truth, plain and simple. Naked. She wanted to pay the debt, so nothing bound her to them in that sense anymore. To not leave any openings for verbal jabs, leverages for manipulation.

She was so tired.

Although, sometimes, she freely admitted, it was funny to listen his grand rants, complaints about her unruly behavior, his threats to take away her laptop or eBook, as if he truly believed they meant anything at all, only to tell him that they were not important to her, that all she needed was her own mind to wander off, that he had never had much control over her. That he did know her not.

It was childlike. It was cruel, but it was also true.

His pretence at knowing everything she did, was doing, was going to do irked her so much, sometimes she positively fumed. Other times, however, she would freeze and tell him to leave her alone.

He’d blame her that he didn’t know her. He would tell her to stop using his ignorance against him in their arguments. He would tell her he wanted to know her, but she just didn’t let him in. And he’d be right.

She didn’t want him to know her.

They were not bad people in a common understanding, they were just not her people.

She was living with her parents all her life, and she was attentive, if quietly reluctant in family conversations. She knew, why she didn’t like her family. She also knew she wouldn’t want for herself to resemble either of them.

She was arrogant, she was bitter, and she was alone. But she was not lonely, and she was almost content.

Liz was happy to have removed herself from under their influence in time.

The children's minds are wonderfully agile, flexible and plastic. Absorbent. Like the clay in more ways than one. It would be a pain to change herself in her adulthood if she'd even want to.

Yes, she thought herself lucky. Liz also had a living example of what she might have become if she stayed in the delusional state long enough. Her sister, her sweet little sister. She was twenty-two as they have a three-year difference. Liz still called her ‘child’, because she acted like one. She and Alice as different on the outside, as they were inside.

Alice looked soft and kind. She looked harmless in a way, that attracted people. Not unlike flies, you could say. The sweet scent opening the way to poison. Once you actually knew her, however, you would understand that her rude, blunt and tactless approach was not for the sake of a joke, it was just the truth. And what is the best lie? The truth served with a smile.

She was not kind, but not a cynic either. Pretended to be one, in hopes of raising self-value. She was gossip-loving, and just didn’t shut up. She complained and pretended to know everything, like their father, had no filter between her ears and her mouth whatsoever, like their mother.

She also was not the one to be caring, almost always expecting someone to do her every bidding. Let her mistakes slide but held onto another’s with a death grip.

Alice could be charming. And one must let her get accustomed to their presence in her life before she would show her true colours. Like a flesh-eating plant, she bit only when her prey was too deep to break free.

These were traits Liz worked so hard to ensure not being a part of her.

But Alice had her moments. She was mostly unjudgmental, friendly and useful. She was mostly independent so didn’t need much attention. She wanted all of it, though.

Lizette detested her little sister as much as she loved her.

They were as day and night, or, more precisely, like the dawn and full moon midnight. But that doesn’t make a sound comparison, does it?

Alice wore light and warm tones, Liz adhered to darker ones, the only bright colour she ever wore was a deep blue one. It complimented her complexion. Liz was a girl of contrasts, partly because it was hard for her to combine colours, partly because she liked the looks. She painted her naturally brown hair in black, kept her skin light, almost pale, and make-up slight but in dark colours. It did suit her.

But again, appearance didn't matter much, did it? 

Lizette was charming in the way that made eyes return to her face. She was well-spoken but taciturn. Not the kind to waste time on idle chatter, if the person was not right, given the choice, of course. Polite and kind. You would never find her refusing help to the stranger if it lied in her abilities. It was not just for show either. She scowled a lot, but her smile was bright and clear. She liked to look at her reflection as any other girl.

She was stubborn and honest, sly and cunning. Coy, if the mood struck her. Sometimes she was slow-paced and absent-minded. She often ignored the outside world and that, as you can imagine, brought her into several unpleasant situations, which she, to her credit, overcame with patience and calm. She was resourceful, and for all her honesty, an accomplished liar. Boy, could she bluff.

Liz preferred logic to heart and diplomacy to violence. She was a quick-learner and hard-working student, but lazy at times.

They were different and didn’t speak much. Scratch that. Liz didn’t speak much with her sister. Alice loved making one-sided conversations and listen to her own voice. She could be a good listener sometimes when the subject was of interest to her.

With Liz, it was not common for Alice to be on the receiving side.

People say that family means unconditional love, means assured acceptance and support. People also say that the family is not a choice. People, however, don't mention that family love is often a forced feeling born from obligations and duty. A forced debt, which you pay one way or another.

At least, it was Liz's thoughts. The girl didn't really believe in love. (Now she knows, she was just an arrogant jerk to her parents)

What also irked Liz is that she wasn’t given a choice. She had, perhaps, an obsession with control. And justice, for that matter. And she, maybe, was the only one thinking of family as of anchor, which does not make you grounded but pull you down with its weight. Unbalance you.

Perhaps, Liz was dysfunctional. She was definitely ill.

People say many other things about family. What they don’t say, they struggle with themselves.


	3. Chapter 3

“Are you lost, girl?” – a man from the left asks, only half-joking.

The one on the right, however, makes a lot of amusing facial expressions, settling after a while on the resignation.

“I am not, thank you for the concern”, - Liz turns her head to one speaking and his eyes widen a bit.

She is well-known in this place and to every worker lists of special patrons with photos are given, so her identity doesn’t have much difficulty to be recognized even without ID card. Comes in handy more often than not.

“Oh, well then. Have a nice evening, miss”, - he bows a little awkwardly and she walks in, nodding. A few seconds later a quiet laugh and swearing from the door can be heard. But no one is close enough to be a witness to it.

It’s not an establishment Liz’s peers would like to see her, but one is innocent until caught in the act, isn’t it?

She unhurriedly walks to the bar and sits down.

Sipping her drink, she cautiously looks around the room.

Dark walls, wooden furnishings, happy patrons.

He is not here yet. 

Alcohol, music, laughter.

Liz could never become accustomed to this atmosphere, no matter how hard she tried.

And, Gods, did she try.

But her mind is always working, it never stops analyzing, coming up with outcomes of almost every action she takes, no matter how small it is. And the loud music and alcohol do not help. If anything, it makes things worse.

Even sounds exhausting.

Well, it was her choice after all and she had come to terms with it a while ago. Otherwise, her body wouldn't stop rejecting a foreign piece until she bled out or went crazy. Not a shiny prospect but a far better one than she had before.

It’s 2191 now. She agreed to be one of the first participants in the Program of Axiis in 2121, a month after her 19th birthday. It was quite the opportunity – to have a new life, without obligatory for every living being death throes in the next couple of centuries. Or more.

This project was designed for the current world leaders, who were desperate for finding a way to rule longer. Perhaps ever. Tyrants one might say, but it wasn’t a very safe thing to do at the time as you can imagine.

When the offer came Liz laughed her pants off, thinking it was a prank of some sort. The next day a representative came, and she was very sceptical of their sanity. She also agreed.

What? She was, always had been, open-minded person, ever curious. Oh, and she was also dying.

It seemed like fun and if, _if_ it was for real, the possibility of curing, of living was real she would gladly bet her remaining days on it.

And it was real. An experiment, a success. And then a war.

The project was not aimed to be just a mean to ensure a long living leader. Oh, no. They were preparing an army for his revolution.

Idiots didn’t read history books it seemed.

So, there was a revolution, a war, and a bloodbath. 

They, participants of the Program, were blinded by the prospect of living. Every one of them had a death sentence before, you see. And when someone climbs the stage and declares you still have hope… People also tend to be very grateful for their lives and so, are more inclined to be a part of a specific team. They also signed a contract. It helped.

It was clever. It was cunning. It was years in the planning.

It all had gone to hell.

Liz lets out a humorless chuckle.

In the beginning, she was so happy, so grateful, so naïve. She had her life, pains didn't bother her anymore and she still had Shard by her side. The ever-faithful friend. Her only support, albeit silent. He was also a Labrador.

The world was wonderful.

But then the training started. They said it was for the better control of our new powers. Because all of them were adults it was harder to get accustomed, true. And even if Liz had no difficulties altogether, she kept her silence. The training would benefit her, as well. She could also find a few friends if she would be subtle enough helping them.

The classes were what she had imagined. There were exercises for endurance, raw physical power, and a mental one. Basics, really. It was a pragmatic approach and logical thing to do since their abilities surpassed human ones.

But one thing kept bothering her. Some students, should we call them, started to change. Many became secluded, grim and had that far-away look in their eyes as if they were not there, but somewhere else. That was where the suspicion gave roots.

Liz knew all of them and was friendly with everyone. No one was her friend, though, but it's beside the point. They were like a big family. Well, their closeness wasn’t a surprise, really. All of them were broken away from a deathbed. Thing like that just brings people together.

And so, the change in behaviour was apparent for Liz. She started to observe everyone closer, pay more attention to the trivia: how they walked, how they slept, how they ate. For a time, she thought she was going crazy and she is the one need to be observed. But eventually, when her hope started to dim, she noticed. 

Her thoughts were confused, she was becoming paranoid. Extra alertness was something she thought as a habit and an adaptation to a new place. It was not. At the end of the day, she really _was_ the one, who needed to be observed.

And so, she sat down and started to think. Enhanced abilities she had were a great help, in fact, which was eternally funny.

After a while, Liz noticed a pattern: people coming from the simulations seemed to be the most closed, cold even. The problem was that that specific exercise was mandatory: you can't fake to do it, you can't miss it. There was also a rating of students to consider. No one, no one would want to be at the bottom. Sounds a bit ominous, does it not?

No matter. The only side effect, so to say, of being on the bottom was attention from the _top_. And not the top of the rating either.


	4. Chapter 4

Liz was a happy possessor of some authority out there. From the beginning, other students looked up to her as a confidant, an older sister. A guide.

She rarely hesitated to take necessary action and never was she ashamed to show her soft side. No one could use it in a wicked way anyway – she held her punch well.

And so, she started to leave subtle hints here and there. All of the students were enhanced it was just in different directions. It all depended on the initial predisposition and on the character if you can believe it. But one thing was in common – intelligence.

That part worked perfectly, and many more students began to wonder, what the hell was going on. There, of course, were troublemakers, bootlickers and such. None of which was included in the Circle. Yeah, they created a name for themselves. “The Circle of Three” without official leadership, but with a guide, a shepherd. Three as ‘Recro, Vitam, Justitiam’ and not the number of participants. All of the students had gone through that cycle after all.

The newly formed club was, sadly, without a secret handshake.

They weren’t even supervised, not in the way one would expect. Liz always wondered if it was just a careless arrogance, since they believed students had nowhere to go, or something else entirely. The second option didn't bode well if it was true. They might have had tested our strategic abilities and resourcefulness and all of it was a ruse, nothing. Pointless. 

The meetings themselves were going surprisingly well, it wasn't hard to organize them either since all students were living in the dorms. Separate, of course. Which was good and made Liz pay attention to another thing, in another field, but most likely connected. Sexual activity, or lack of thereof. She was constantly in the company of men, many of which are quite handsome and not an ounce of desire welled in her in all that time, no sexual tension, nothing. She, of course, might perceive them as her younger brothers. She hoped it was the case. There’s a possibility, however, that emotional hollowness they all felt was the messed up hormonal responses. They’d be a pain to fix, but with proper treatment… Provided they lived long enough.

After a while, they had more people to welcome and shed the light on the current situation for, as they understood it. Which was not a lot, but more than newbies knew before that was for sure.

And so, the Circle grew with agitation. Students wanted answers, and then, they wanted justice. Only some of them still remembered it was an initial agreement. It was what they signed up for. No more, nor less. For now, it was only training.

But a funny thing was, with training their muscles, mental or otherwise, grew, but their emotions were withering.

Sweet, sweet apathy. Liz’s old friend. She wasn’t in any rush to greet it again.

The contract imposed an obligation of participation in training and in the Great Revolution of the True Leadership. Quite a mouthful, wouldn’t you say? But as was already mentioned the training fed on their emotions, their personalities and the watchdogs of that project probably counted on that very effect.

The Circle decided to resist. They started small. From simple things.

They were together and didn't let anyone to be withdrawn. Always involved in a conversation or otherwise. One could spy quite a few cuddling…piles here and there. It was a picturesque display of affection indeed.

…But more importantly, it helped.

And so, the Circle stood as one.

Later was a revolution, a war, and a bloodbath. 

The Circle played a big role in the first and stayed away from the last two.

Mysteriously were displaced remaining students, not included in the club’s activities. And in the dreadful fire came down the laboratory with all researches and researchers.

Or maybe…


	5. Chapter 5

People say the family is not a choice one has to make. But what a family is?

Would you call ‘family’ the strangers caught up in the net of obligations and duty?

Would you call ‘family’ the ones, who learn to adapt, to stay out of each other’s way?

Or would you name ‘family’ the people, brought together by their own deeds?

People, who decided then to stay in concert by their own volition?

Learned how to trust and rely on?

Would you instead call ‘family’ those people, who want to be named as such, who feel as such?

Those people who are family for each other in anything but name?

It was your question to answer and your answer to keep to yourself.

…Liz didn’t care either way.

She was just happy to be with her real siblings at the very long last.


End file.
